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I'll be arriving in Guadalajara, Mexico tomorrow, and I want to rent a car. The Orbitz web site gives me a US$9/day option from Allianz.

Then when I got to the rental agency, they told me the Allianz insurance was insufficient, and that I either needed to buy a minimum policy for US$385 for the week for their minimum liability-only policy, or put a US$20,000 hold on my credit card.

This strikes me as insanely expensive. When I was driving my own car in Mexico, a full year of full-coverage insurance was about US$385.

Is there a cheaper way to insure a rental car in Mexico?

In the U.S., my normal insurance policy has always extended to cover rentals, but I currently have no car insurance anywhere. If standard Mexican auto insurance policies cover rentals, I could re-insure my vehicle (even though I'm not driving it now), just to get rental coverage.

Yes, add Allianz Global Assistance Rental Car Damage Protector for only $9 per day. This is $72.00 total.

Accidents happen. Don't get caught without collision damage coverage.

  • Covers costs if your rental car is stolen or is damaged in an accident or while left unattended
  • Provided as primary coverage so your regular insurance policy will not be hit
  • No deductible
  • May be less expensive now than at the car counter

Terms, conditions and exclusions apply, learn more.
Plans underwritten by Jefferson Insurance Company or BCS Insurance Company.

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  • what kind of insurance is that? Liability or just Collision damage waiver?
    – Vitalik
    Mar 7, 2014 at 21:16
  • @Vitalik: Question updated with additional details.
    – Flimzy
    Mar 7, 2014 at 21:21
  • Looks like it's just a collision damage mostly. Many credit cards cover that for free if use that card to rent the car.
    – Vitalik
    Mar 7, 2014 at 21:50
  • @Vitalik: Oh, interesting... I didn't know that. I'll check my cards.
    – Flimzy
    Mar 7, 2014 at 21:52
  • @Vitalik: I have that coverage on one of my cards, but only for car rentals in the U.S. So that doesn't help me. Although if there is a CC that offers that as a feature in other countries, that would make for a reasonable answer to the question.
    – Flimzy
    Mar 7, 2014 at 22:01

1 Answer 1

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+50

It'll depend which country you can get credit cards in, obviously, but many credit cards include travel insurance, sometimes including car rental insurance. Often it's the higher quality or 'Gold' cards (e.g. Visa Gold in some countries).

One example I can find online is Citi's ThankYou Credit Card:

  • Excludes “Off-road, antique or limited edition vehicles are excluded, as are - trucks, recreational vehicles, campers, pick-up trucks and mini-buses.”
  • Must charge entire rental to the credit card
  • Must reject CDW from the rental agency
  • Per rental coverage maximum of 31 consecutive days
  • Maximum reimbursement of US$50,000

and some other rules and limitations, as per usual with credit cards. See page linked to, and the Citi website it links to for more information. But the $50k excess would seem to cover your requirements.

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